List of Governors of the Department of Santander
Encyclopedia
The Governor of the Department Santander heads the executive branch of the government of the Colombia
n department of Santander. He or she is the highest ranking official in the department, serving as the main agent for the President of Colombia
to carry on the task of maintaining public order and the execution of the general economic policy, and all matters of law passed down for the nation. The current governor is Horacio Serpa Uribe.
. The State would be an independent entity within the country ruled by a President which would be elected by the State Congress. The President of the state would act as the governor of the region but with more power and independence from the central government, in turn, the title of Governor
was given to the heads of government of the provinces of the state.
Many presidents of the state, due to the great amount of power they held, and the political importance of the region, went on to become Presidents of the Nation
, and others went on to become important political figures in Congress or other areas.
On April 8, 1859, Congress passed a law giving the President of the Country, then the Granadine Confederation
, the right to remove the duly appointed Governors of the States and appoint one of his choosing. With this law, the President secured the power of the Conservative Party. This changed the practice of a State elected executive representative, instead the President of Colombia would appoing the President or Governor of the State or Department, this went on till 1991.
In 1886 the states were abolished and Santander became a Department under direct
authority of the central government.
In 1910 the northern part of the department was detached to form the new Department of Norte de Santander separately represented by their own Governor.
The Colombian Constitution of 1991
allowed for local democratic elections to take place electing Governors for each department and the elections being held at the same time to avoid confusion.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n department of Santander. He or she is the highest ranking official in the department, serving as the main agent for the President of Colombia
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
to carry on the task of maintaining public order and the execution of the general economic policy, and all matters of law passed down for the nation. The current governor is Horacio Serpa Uribe.
Presidents of the Sovereign State of Santander
The Sovereign State of Santander was created on May 13, 1857 as the third Sovereign State of the Republic of New GranadaRepublic of New Granada
The Republic of New Granada was a centralist republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Ecuador, and Venezuela. It was created after the dissolution in 1830 of Gran Colombia. It was later abolished in 1858 when the Granadine Confederation was...
. The State would be an independent entity within the country ruled by a President which would be elected by the State Congress. The President of the state would act as the governor of the region but with more power and independence from the central government, in turn, the title of Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
was given to the heads of government of the provinces of the state.
Many presidents of the state, due to the great amount of power they held, and the political importance of the region, went on to become Presidents of the Nation
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
, and others went on to become important political figures in Congress or other areas.
On April 8, 1859, Congress passed a law giving the President of the Country, then the Granadine Confederation
Granadine Confederation
The Granadine Confederation was a short-lived federal republic established in 1858 as a result of a constitutional change replacing the Republic of New Granada. It comprised the present day nations of Colombia and Panama...
, the right to remove the duly appointed Governors of the States and appoint one of his choosing. With this law, the President secured the power of the Conservative Party. This changed the practice of a State elected executive representative, instead the President of Colombia would appoing the President or Governor of the State or Department, this went on till 1991.
| Tenure | Incumbent President | |
|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left Office | |
| October 16, 1857 | October 23, 1857 | Estanislao Silva Calderón |
| October 23, 1857 | 1858 | Manuel Murillo Toro Manuel Murillo Toro Manuel Murillo Toro was a Colombian politician and statesman, who served as President of the United States of Colombia on two occasions, first from 1864 to 1866, and again between 1872 and 1874.- Biographic data :... |
| 1858 | 1858 | Ulpiano Valenzuela |
| 1858 | 1858 | Vicente Herrera |
| 1859 | 1859 | Manuel Murillo Toro Manuel Murillo Toro Manuel Murillo Toro was a Colombian politician and statesman, who served as President of the United States of Colombia on two occasions, first from 1864 to 1866, and again between 1872 and 1874.- Biographic data :... |
| March 12, 1859 | March 18, 1859 | Vicente Herrera |
| March 18, 1859 | March 21, 1859 | Luis Flórez |
| March 21, 1859 | April 3, 1859 | Evaristo Azuero |
| April 3, 1859 | November 23, 1859 | Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Moreno was a lawyer, Colombian general and political figure, who was president of the Granadine Confederation from 1870 until 1872. Elected at age 39, was one of the youngest Presidents of the nation.- Biographic data :... |
| November 23, 1859 | January 1, 1860 | Ulpiano Valenzuela |
| January 1, 1860 | February 1, 1860 | Antonio María Pradilla Rueda |
| February 1, 1860 | February 29, 1860 | José María Villamizar Gallardo |
| February 29, 1860 | May 6, 1860 | Marco Antonio Estrada |
| May 6, 1860 | August 16, 1860 | Antonio María Pradilla Rueda |
| August 16, 1860 | September 8, 1860 | Federal Intervention, State government suspended |
| September 8, 1860 | 1861 | Marco Antonio Estrada |
| 1861 | 1862 | Leonardo Canal González |
| 1862 | 1862 | Adolfo Harker Mutis |
| 1862 | 1863 | Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Moreno was a lawyer, Colombian general and political figure, who was president of the Granadine Confederation from 1870 until 1872. Elected at age 39, was one of the youngest Presidents of the nation.- Biographic data :... |
| 1863 | 1864 | Pedro Quintero Jácome |
| 1864 | June 6, 1864 | Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Moreno was a lawyer, Colombian general and political figure, who was president of the Granadine Confederation from 1870 until 1872. Elected at age 39, was one of the youngest Presidents of the nation.- Biographic data :... |
| June 7, 1864 | October 11, 1864 | Rafael Otero Navarro |
| October 11, 1864 | October 1, 1866 | José María Villamizar Gallardo |
| October 1, 1866 | September 24, 1868 | Victoriano de Diego y Paredes |
| September 24, 1868 | October 1, 1868 | Narciso Cadena Uribe |
| October 1, 1868 | March 14, 1870 | Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Moreno was a lawyer, Colombian general and political figure, who was president of the Granadine Confederation from 1870 until 1872. Elected at age 39, was one of the youngest Presidents of the nation.- Biographic data :... |
| March 14, 1870 | March 30, 1870 | Narciso Cadena Uribe |
| March 30, 1870 | October 1, 1872 | Solón Wilches |
| October 1, 1872 | September 15, 1874 | Narciso Cadena Uribe |
| September 15, 1874 | May 16, 1875 | Germán Vargas Santos |
| May 16, 1875 | May 25, 1876 | Aquileo Parra Gómez |
| May 25, 1876 | 1876 | Francisco Muñoz |
| 1876 | 1877 | Marco Antonio Estrada |
| 1877 | 1877 | Francisco Muñoz |
| 1877 | 1877 | Marco Antonio Estrada |
| 1877 | 1877 | Domingo Castro |
| 1877 | 1877 | Francisco Muñoz |
| 1877 | 1877 | Domingo Castro |
| 1877 | October 1, 1878 | Marco Antonio Estrada |
| October 1, 1878 | 1883 | Solón Wilches |
| 1883 | 1883 | Vicente Villamizar |
| October 1, 1883 | September 9, 1884 | Solón Wilches |
| September 9, 1884 | 1885 | Narciso González Lineros |
| 1885 | August 5, 1886 | Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Reyna was a boxer from Mexico. He competed in the featherweight division during his career as an amateur.-Amateur career:... |
| 1886 | 1886 | Alejandro Peña Solano |
Governors of the Department of Santander
authority of the central government.
In 1910 the northern part of the department was detached to form the new Department of Norte de Santander separately represented by their own Governor.
| Tenure | Incumbent Governor | |
|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left Office | |
| 1886 | 1887 | Alejandro Peña Solano |
| 1887 | 1888 | Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Reyna was a boxer from Mexico. He competed in the featherweight division during his career as an amateur.-Amateur career:... |
| 1888 | 1888 | Vicente Villamizar |
| 1888 | 1889 | Guillermo Quintero |
| 1889 | 1890 | Aurelio Mutis |
| 1890 | 1895 | Guillermo Quintero |
| 1895 | 1896 | José Santos |
| 1896 | 1886 | Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Antonio Roldán Reyna was a boxer from Mexico. He competed in the featherweight division during his career as an amateur.-Amateur career:... |
| 1186 | 1897 | Roso Cala |
| 1897 | 1898 | Aurelio Mutis |
| 1898 | 1899 | Roso Cala |
| 1899 | 1900 | Alejandro Peña Solano |
| 1900 | 1900 | Carlos J. Delgado |
| 1900 | 1901 | Ramón González Valencia Ramón González Valencia Ramón González Valencia was a Colombian conservative, military officer and statesman. He participated in the civil wars of 1876, Colombian Civil War of 1895, and the Thousand Days War.- Biographic data :... |
| 1901 | 1901 | Carlos Matamoros |
| 1901 | 1902 | Juan Francisco Mantilla |
| 1902 | 1903 | Antonio Barrera Forero |
| 1903 | 1904 | Ramón González Valencia Ramón González Valencia Ramón González Valencia was a Colombian conservative, military officer and statesman. He participated in the civil wars of 1876, Colombian Civil War of 1895, and the Thousand Days War.- Biographic data :... |
| 1904 | 1904 | Carlos Matamoros |
| 1904 | 1904 | Jesús Cuervo Márquez |
| 1904 | 1905 | Alejandro Peña Solano |
| 1905 | 1906 | Santiago Rizo |
| 1906 | 1907 | Alejandro Peña Solano |
| 1907 | 1908 | Gabino Navas |
| 1908 | 1909 | Alejandro Peña Solano |
| 1909 | 1911 | Eugenio Andrade Suescún |
| 1911 | 1913 | Antonio Barrera Forero |
| 1913 | 1916 | Manuel María Valdivieso Valencia |
| 1916 | 1917 | Ernesto Valderrama |
| 1918 | 1921 | Luis Mejía Luis Mejia Luis Mejía is a Panamanian football goalkeeper. He currently plays for the Ligue 1 side Toulouse FC.-International career:... |
| 1921 | 1823 | José María García |
| 1923 | December 1924 | Emilio Pradilla González |
| December 1924 | December 19, 1926 | Arturo Mantilla |
| December 19, 1926 | 1928 | Juan de la Cruz Duarte |
| 1928 | 1929 | Narciso Torres Meléndez |
| November 26, 1929 | September 4, 1930 | Alfredo García Cadena |
| 1930 | 1931 | Alejandro Galvis Galvis Alejandro Galvis Galvis Alejandro Galvis Galvis was a Colombian publisher and politician.He graduated the law school of the Universidad Republicana de Bogotá. From 1914 on he worked as journalist for the newspapers Juventud Liberal and El Progreso... |
| 1931 | 1932 | Eduardo Santos Montejo |
| 1932 | 1933 | Alfredo Cadena D’Costa |
| 1933 | 1934 | Humberto Gómez Naranjo |
| 1934 | 1935 | Pedro Alejandro Gómez |
| 1935 | 1937 | Rogerio Silva Pradilla |
| 1937 | 1939 | Alfredo Cadena D’Costa |
| 1939 | 1941 | Hernán Gómez Gómez |
| 1941 | 1943 | Benjamín García Cadena |
| 1943 | 1944 | Arturo Santos |
| April 21, 1944 | February 15, 1945 | Alejandro Galvis Galvis Alejandro Galvis Galvis Alejandro Galvis Galvis was a Colombian publisher and politician.He graduated the law school of the Universidad Republicana de Bogotá. From 1914 on he worked as journalist for the newspapers Juventud Liberal and El Progreso... |
| February 15, 1945 | 1946 | Luis Camacho Rueda |
| 1946 | 1947 | Samuel Arango Reyes |
| 1947 | 1947 | Julio Martín Acevedo Díaz |
| 1948 | 1948 | Rafael Ortíz González |
| 1948 | 1948 | Miguel Ángel Hoyos |
| 1949 | 1949 | Valentín González Rangel |
| 1950 | 1950 | Hernando Sorzano González |
| 1951 | 1951 | Guillermo Garavito Durán |
| 1952 | 1953 | Pedro Nel Rueda Uribe |
| 1953 | 1953 | Néstor Meza Prieto |
| 1953 | 1953 | José Amaya José Amaya José Antonio "Ringo" Amaya Pardo is a Colombian footballer. He currently plays for Millonarios in Colombia.... |
| 1954 | 1957 | Quintín Gustavo Gómez |
| 1958 | 1958 | Ernesto Caicedo López |
| 1958 | 1958 | Alberto Lozano Cleves |
| 1959 | 1960 | Samuel Arango Reyes |
| 1960 | 1961 | Mario Latorre Rueda |
| 1962 | 1962 | Gustavo Serrano Gómez |
| 1963 | 1964 | Humberto Silva Valdivieso |
| 1965 | 1965 | Enrique Barco Guerrero |
| 1965 | 1965 | Reynaldo López López |
| 1966 | 1966 | Francisco José Calderón |
| 1966 | 1968 | Julio Obregón Bueno |
| 1969 | 1969 | Eduardo Camacho Gamba |
| 1970 | 1970 | Alfonso Gómez Gómez |
| 1971 | 1971 | Jaime Serrano Rueda |
| 1972 | 1973 | Jaime Trillos Novoa |
| 1974 | 1974 | Rafael Pérez Martínez |
| 1975 | 1975 | Oscar Edmundo Martínez |
| 1976 | 1976 | Rafael Ortiz González |
| 1977 | 1978 | Alberto Montoya Puyana |
| 1979 | 1981 | Alfonso Gómez Gómez |
| 1982 | 1982 | Luis Ardila Casamitjana |
| 1983 | 1983 | Rafael Moreno Peñaranda |
| 1984 | 1984 | Jorge Agustín Sedano |
| 1985 | 1986 | Álvaro Cala Hederich |
| 1987 | 1988 | Alvaro Betrán Pinzón |
| 1989 | 1990 | Eduardo Camacho Barco |
| 1990 | 1990 | Hernando Reyes Duarte |
| 1991 | December 31, 1991 | Clara Elsa Villalba de Sandoval |
Democratically elected Governors
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia, better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia. Promulgated on July 4 of 1991 , it replaced the Constitution of 1886...
allowed for local democratic elections to take place electing Governors for each department and the elections being held at the same time to avoid confusion.
| Tenure | Incumbent Governor | |
|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left Office | |
| January 1, 1992 | December 31, 1994 | Juan Carlos Duarte Torres |
| January 1, 1995 | December 31, 1997 | Mario Camacho Prada |
| January 1, 1998 | December 31, 2000 | Miguel Jesús Arenas Prada |
| January 1, 2001 | December 31, 2003 | Jorge Eliécer Gómez Villamizar |
| January 1, 2004 | December 31, 2007 | Hugo Heliodoro Aguilar Naranjo |
| January 1, 2008 | December 31, 2011 | Horacio Serpa Uribe |